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Don't get me wrong, I really enjoyed this issue and thought it was the best thing I read this week. That ending though, that was shocking -- I didn't see it coming. It was set up beautifully, with Davis appearing on TVs constantly throughout the issue, defending Bucky. As a result, the reader was prepared to see Novokov go after him, but not in a way that telegraphed it.

Leo Novokov is a great villain for Bucky, he's almost Bucky's exact opposite. It makes sense for him to go after Bucky by killing a former Bucky, and friend to Mr. Barnes as a message for what he is about to do to Barnes. Still, I came to really like Davis in his recent appearance in Captain America and Bucky and it was tough to see him go out like this. It was nice to see him at least go down fighting though.

This title has been thoroughly excellent throughout it’s short life, but this was the best issue yet, improving on perfection! A lot of this has to do with Michael Lark’s artwork, this is no slight on Butch Guice, who has been brilliant, but something special happens when Lark and Brubaker collaborate. From way back on Scene Of The Crime, through Gotham Central and Daredevil, they just go well together, it’s not quite as good as when Brubaker works with Sean Phillips, but it’s almost that. Lark’s dark, moody artwork is just perfect for the tone of Brubaker’s stories. I also loved how this issue picked up where the first storyline left off, and we’re right back into the story of the other Russian sleeper agent. My favourite sequences in this issue were the flashbacks that Leo was going through, especially how Bettie Breitweiser changed her colouring style and for them, emphasising the red of blood. It was also interesting to see the return of Fred Davis, and how even though he was old (and eventually died) he was still a bit of a bad-ass. It’s brilliant how Brubaker has managed to come up with even more threats from Bucky’s past, it makes each story feel important, gives it depth. Captain America may have lost me, but this title is delivering me what I want from a Brubaker superhero story, it’s just excellent, end of story.